Angus King: I may caucus with GOP if I retake Senate

Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), one of two independent senators who caucuses with Democrats, on Wednesday openly floated the possibility of siding with Republicans next year if they take control of the Senate.

“I’ll make my decision at the time based on what I think is best for Maine,” King told The Hill on Wednesday after voting with Republicans to block a Democratic-backed bill that would seek to ensure pay equity among men and women.

King is a former Republican governor but ran for the Senate in 2012 as an independent. During his campaign and in the years since, King has maintained that his current work with the Democratic caucus does not bar him from one day possibly allying with Republicans.

“I don’t want to stand in the middle of the aisle and say I’m an independent and not have a committee assignment,” he said in a 2012 interview with The Washington Post. “That’s sort of self-defeating, and it wouldn’t be fair to Maine. If it’s necessary to join a caucus and get a committee assignment, I’ll do it.”

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